Early Kaibab vs Late desert Muzzleloader vs 3A/C

[buglethemin]

Agree with creed. Been hunting these deserts units 39/41/40a/42 for 20 years now and just finished my December muzzleloader hunt. Took a great buck but was tough and spent weeks scouting and 11 straight days hunting before tagging out. Glassed over 30 bucks in those 11 days of hunting and hunted/scouted in 4 of the 5 units provided and only found 2 bucks pushing 180 or better. Most of the bucks averaged 150-160 range. Not one of those bucks were with does. All were solo or bachelor up. Was out yesterday and today helping a buddy w archery gear and still no rut. Bucks were still solo and batched up. To make it worse. All bucks glassed bedded by 815am to maybe 9am and were down for the long haul. They wouldn't move till 430pm. If they were rutting that would definetely change. All I can suggest is if your good at glassing and know their habitat and patterns the desert/muzzy hunt can be a blast but long and fraustrating but very rewarding. Can't beat that December weather in the desert beautiful.

[trphyhntr]

No brainer if you are hunting with Koury. Trphyhntr is local and it was no piece of cake for him last year. I wouldn't necessarily assume the pics you've seen from any unit this year to be representative of what you can expect normally, but especially the desert.

If I wasn't an idiot I would have killed the biggest buck of of the whole hunt 5 minutes into it just like I planned. I missed like 6-7 times Fml. But yeah after that, finding a 160" buck wasn't very easy for me. But we saw a ton of 3x3's and 3x4's to keep it interesting. Fun hunt

 

We hunted early kaibab the same week and I think I like 3c better. I'm sure for people that know it, kaibab would be better for 170" deer. Kaibab is just a cool place to hunt.

 

right now in the right spots with a bow is one of the better chances for a decent carp.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

3c is your best bet, but just like any unit it can depend on many things. Just be aware that many of the pictures shown from 3c are well below 180. 150-160 is more of a norm. Lots of solid bucks from 3c but very few giants...

[naturebob]

How many points for 23 or 27, My hunters trailhead ran out, I gotta renew..................BOb!

[Coues poacher]

How many points for 23 or 27, My hunters trailhead ran out, I gotta renew..................BOb!

You're looking at 13 for 23 and 9 for 27 going off of 2015 results

[yotebuster]

No brainer if you are hunting with Koury. Trphyhntr is local and it was no piece of cake for him last year. I wouldn't necessarily assume the pics you've seen from any unit this year to be representative of what you can expect normally, but especially the desert.

I still have yet to see a pic from this year of a really big 3c buck. Seems like a great place for a 160-170 buck but that's a lot of points to dump on a buck of that size. That kid and dad that I saw pics of both shot nice bucks that have to be pushing 170 but beyond that it looks like a ton of young 150-160 bucks are shot in there. For as many as you see come out of there I haven't seen a really big one yet either. Seems like even the OTC units turn out an occasional giant and certainly the kaibab.

[bonecollector777]

3c sucks, little bucks everywhere. I'd try another unit.

[azbugler]

Call me old school but when did a 160 buck become unworthy? I have shot Bucks in Kaibab much smaller than that. Truth is if you want a 200" buck start playing the strip game or late Kaibab. This are the only hunts with a fairly reasonable chance at that kind of animal. Quality wise, 3c is a small step down from Kaibab but there's a lot of nice bucks there and a few monsters coming in and out of the res.